Visit any given frat house on any given Sunday and you're likely to hear the chronically behind-the-beat melodies of O.A.R. wafting across the front porch. Quite simply, front man Marc Roberge is Brad Nowell reincarnated.
Now, that may seem a bit irreverent (to the legendary fallen Sublime front man) or dismissive (to the up-and-coming band), but it's hard to argue otherwise when presented with the band's catalog of laid-back hits and their off-beat rhythmic tendencies. Or their legions of fans, for that matter.
For the past two years, the Ohio quintet has been steadily gaining ground among the fickle college music crowd. O.A.R. -- and it is a three-letter abbreviation for the original name, "... of a revolution," not a reference to the rowing implement -- began playing together in their earliest incarnation back when Roberge and drummer Chris Culos were still in junior high school, and within a few years they had expanded to a quartet with the addition of bassist Benj Gershman and guitarist Richard On.
They began to take off in the Maryland and D.C. markets in the late 90's on the strength of their first recording, "The Wanderer," which was thematically rooted in a short story written by Roberge. It was the second track from that album that put them on the map -- "That Was A Crazy Game of Poker" remains their calling card even today.
Life and reality eventually called, as they tend to do, and Roberge and Culos headed off to college at Ohio State University. This would spell disaster for groups with lesser resolve, but for O.A.R. it was only a temporary hiatus. Undeterred, the group reconvened the following year.
Richard and Benj also were shipped off to OSU. By the time classes started, they had recorded "Souls Aflame," a follow-up disc spearheaded by the lively "City On Down." Saxophonist Jerry DePizzo lent his horn and his lungs to the group for that project, and he eventually was invited to become the final band member.
For the next few years, the group focused on playing live, selling out one venue after another in the Midwest and even packing houses far from their home territory. It took them a full three years to release "Risen," their next album. After such a long wait, however, that was hardly enough to satisfy their ravenous fans. Plans for a fourth record, although already in the works, could hardly be fast-tracked due to the scheduled national tour.
As a peace offering, the band compiled "Any Time Now," a double-length live album that attempts to capture the heart of the shows that have drawn so much praise.
As the years have progressed, O.A.R.'s sound has matured. The Sublime comparisons are inevitable, and there have been more than passing hints of ska thanks to the sax melodies throughout.
The Marley clan makes an appearance somewhere in there, but it's almost more like they
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